Practical Proficiency Podcast
Where world language teachers gather to transition to proficiency oriented instruction through comprehensible input. All through practical, real-life, teacher-friendly ideas that make teaching language more joyful! Hosted by Devon of La Libre Language Learning.
Practical Proficiency Podcast
Language Glue: Why Your Students Can't Remember What You Taught Them
Language teachers everywhere face the same challenge: how do we create units that actually lead to acquisition instead of just memorization? The answer lies in understanding how our brains naturally process and store language.
In this eye-opening episode, I break down the six-phase structure that every successful proficiency-based unit must follow. Starting with context-rich input (the "glue" that makes language stick in students' brains), we explore how declarative versus procedural knowledge explains why students can sometimes recite grammar rules perfectly but freeze during conversations.
You'll discover why rushing through the comprehension phase is a critical mistake that prevents true acquisition, and why many teachers unwittingly sabotage their students' progress by skipping essential steps in the acquisition process. I share practical, classroom-tested strategies for each phase - from input introduction through comprehension, gradual output release, authentic contexts, presentational practice, and finally to meaningful interpersonal communication.
Using comparisons as our example structure, I demonstrate how to adapt this framework for both brand-new concepts and reviewing previously introduced language. You'll learn how to determine appropriate timing for each phase based on your specific teaching context and student needs, rather than arbitrary pacing guides.
Whether you're teaching novice learners or advanced students, this structural framework provides the scaffold your proficiency-oriented units need. Stop wondering why your students struggle to use language they've "learned" and start designing units that follow the brain's natural pathways to language acquisition.
Have you tried structuring your units this way? Share your experiences in the comments or on social media using #PracticalProficiency. And if this episode helped you, please leave a review to help other teachers discover these strategies!
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What's up, keloke Et salut world language teachers. Welcome to the Practical Proficiency Podcast, where we make the transition to proficiency-oriented instruction in your world language class in a way that works for you, your unique context and teaching style, and doesn't sacrifice your well-being along the way. I'm your host, devin Gunning, the teacher author, conference host, curriculum creator and consultant behind La Libre Language Learning. This podcast is for the creative world language teacher like you who's ready to ditch the overwhelming pressure of switching to acquisition-driven instruction and CI overnight. You're ready to discover how using more target language in class can actually bring you and your students more joy instead of adding to your plate With practical, authentic and down-to-earth strategies that don't require reinventing the wheel or more training, we'll work together towards the magic of a community-based, target-language-rich classroom, rooted in the power of community and comprehensible input. Let's go, hey.
Speaker 1:Foreign language teachers, I bet that you have either wondered or have been asked before. So what does an actual proficiency-based unit look like when you're thinking about how to plan for teaching a new concept or introducing a new linguistic chunk? It's not really clear, because it's not something we talk about often. What should the pacing look like? Because, although there's tons of ideas out there about a specific model of like. Let's do this first, then second, then middle, then last, and I want to present to you the idea that world language can actually be the same way when you're teaching for acquisition. There's actually a structure that every successful and acquisition-based unit takes a student through that follows their brain's natural pathways to acquiring language, and then language that sticks in their heads. That then, at the end of that unit, they'll be able to either work with, interpret stronger, depending on their proficiency level or even produce, which is the main goal of what we're trying to get to. So, without further ado, let's talk about it.
Speaker 1:Like, what is the structure of every good proficiency based new topic, introduction or unit? Let's get into it. So first I will tell you that the idea for this came from an office hours meeting with one of my practical proficiency network members. This person emailed me and said hey, I'm excited to meet with you on Friday, but I just have no idea where to start when it comes to, like, planning a unit based on CI techniques. Like, what are they supposed to look like? So that's where we're going today and this is exactly what I said to her, and I'm really excited for you to jump in on this knowledge too. So for a unit it really doesn't matter. We're just using the word unit to talk about, like any chunk or topic that you need to get into with your students.
Speaker 1:You're looking for in here many different ways to possibly present this information and then eventually ask students to work with it, but every good unit has the same structure. Here's what it looks like. First of all, it follows a gradual release model. So we are, if you're, if you have a teaching background and a teaching degree not everybody in world language does, but if you're going through this with the, with the PACE program or you might remember this from your university days that it's a gradual release model. We gradually release responsibility of the input to students. So it starts off with the majority of teacher input and teacher provided input. So this is the first phase. I call it phase one, the input phase, and of course input is going to drive the train the entire time. But we're going to slowly introduce new things and new skills based off of the input. So let me give you an example here.
Speaker 1:In the intro input phase, what you're looking for is a context rich way to introduce your students to this new functional chunk. So for the purpose of this, I'm going to talk about how to do comparisons. So let's say, comparisons is your focus for the next three or four weeks in your classroom and you're like, how do I do this in a comprehensible, input focused way that will drive them towards acquisition? Comprehensible, input-focused way that will drive them towards acquisition? So your context-driven introduction can be so many different things. That's why you see such a variation of how this works in different classrooms with different styles.
Speaker 1:Literally, the world is open to you for things that you could do. The only thing that is your guiding light is that is this a context-rich light? Is that, is this a context rich, input based experience for your students? So what that looks like is you could be having a simple conversation with your students and you know we say conversation loosely because you're just going to be asking them whether they understand you or not at this space. It could also be a story or story based teaching, or it could be like doing a TPRS and presenting theater style, or it could be so many other ways that you do this.
Speaker 1:Maybe you started with a video or a slideshow presentation from your chosen curriculum or textbook, but it doesn't really matter, as long as it's interesting to your students, and it is completely input-based. And you're checking for comprehension constantly, but you're not asking for any input yet. So, with comparisons, you're showing students tons of examples of this, ideally with you presenting all of those examples, either saying them or signing them. Now you're going to be looking at comprehension to be your phase two, then we're going to be looking at the phase three, which is gradual release to output, and then the next stage will be full release to output and then we will finally be getting into interpersonal work. So let's back up for a second and see where a lot of people make this common mistake of jumping too quickly between stages or sometimes even skipping them, of jumping too quickly between stages or sometimes even skipping them. So, with the input phase, most world language teachers are accustomed to this style and they do this every time.
Speaker 1:But a huge mistake that comes up often is well, it's not a huge mistake, but it's a very common mistake is that there's no context in how they present this new language. So they might be presenting comparisons to students and you know, maybe, if you're working with legacy methods right now and you're doing that whole presentational and then practice model, which is where you're going to show students first. This is how you do comparisons in this language. This is how you say more than less, than better, than worse than this is how you do that in this language. Now I want you guys to try that rule and practice it on some sort of fun practice mode, like, yeah, that's a very common way to do things in world language.
Speaker 1:We're trying to move away from that because what we found through, you know, decades of research, is that without the context, it will get lost, because it will get programmed into a different part of your students' brains than what you actually want them to, so they might be able to produce that rule for you later on. If you talk a lot about how to form comparisons, they're smart, they'll be able to explain back to you oh yeah, this is how you form comparisons. And then when you put them in a conversational setting and you ask them to compare and contrast things in their own life, they're going to be like, oh, because it wasn't actually stuck to that part of their brain. You need to stick this information to the communicative part of their linguistic brain, which means you need the context. In this scenario, think of context as the glue that holds the language in your students' heads. Without the context, it's going to go into the wrong part of their brain.
Speaker 1:What I'm talking about right now if you want the fancy term is declarative versus procedural knowledge. So what we're going for with acquisition and one of the reasons that makes it kind of tricky and fuzzy is that acquisition is a subconscious process. It is not something that your students are actively trying to do. So, if you're, which is why it fools a lot of teachers into thinking that, like, my students got this, because if you give them some sort of test that says, hey, how do you form comparisons in French, they'll be able to tell you the rule. If they paid attention, like they'll be able to regurgitate what you told them. But then, of course, as we talked about, when you put them in the situation where they have to use comparisons, it's not actually the same thing being able to describe how to form comparisons and actually forming comparisons. It's not. So we're trying to work with the natural subconscious processes here. So that's why context is so important. At the end of the day, context is the glue that keeps the language in your students' heads.
Speaker 1:Now next, to make sure that that glue sticks and gets really solid and strong and doesn't remain malleable. We're going to go to the comprehension phase. This is phase two of any successful proficiency oriented new introduction or unit. So let's go with the comparison example here. With the comparison example for the comprehension phase, what you're asking students to do is work more in depth with comparisons without producing anything. So you're asking them to do things like hey, what does this sentence mean? What is this person saying? Do you understand what I'm saying? Can you answer this question? Can you tell me which one is bigger or smaller? Or things like that with comparisons. Again, there's so many different ways that you can do this, so many different proficiency oriented activities that would work well.
Speaker 1:But at the end of the day, you're asking students to work with the input, organize the input, sort the input into categories, because again, that really helps to solidify that glue. And you're also going to be asking for some simple responses with familiar phrases from previous, things that they already know how to do. So if you're working with novice mids, they might not have a lot of things to say to you yet, but they would be able to answer for you things like if you have already done a school supply unit, for example, then they'll be able to tell you the markers better than the crayon or something like that Not that whole phrase, but they'll be able to say, like, if you ask them which one's better marker or crayon they'll be able to tell you you know marker. So that's what you're looking for. Is you're looking for using previously acquired skills and words to then talk about these newer acquired skills and words that they're working with with you?
Speaker 1:This is also something that people often skip is this comprehension phase. They do this for like 10 minutes after the first input and then they just move on to like okay, let's start doing production now. Like, let's start working with writing sentences. And I would encourage you to hold the breaks and let your students have a full period of instruction, depending on how new this concept is Like. If your students have a full period of instruction depending on how new this concept is Like if your students have never seen comparisons before, you should allow them a full class period or more. If you have really short class periods, like 45 minutes or less, just straight up working with the input before you ask them to produce things.
Speaker 1:Now, I'm not talking about like if they're giving you a simple, like one or two word answer with stuff they already know. Fine, totally fine, of course. But in the ideal world what I'm talking about is, before you ask them to write sentences about comparisons and form comparisons on their own, it's a good idea to give them a nice day or two of teaching for all that glue to harden and solidify, before you start asking the glue to hold more things in there. So we're going real hard on this glue metaphor. I hope you're into it, I'm into it. So the next thing that we're going to work on after you've had some time with the comprehension phase and of course, there's tons of activities that make this really easy it's all the stuff that's in your normal teacher toolkit. I'm talking like CFUs checking for comprehension questions, things where you ask them to sort stuff, t-charts galore, doing things like Pictionary and stuff. Anything that helps them to solidify and demonstrate that they understand the vocab and the new skills. That's golden.
Speaker 1:Now we're going to start moving into phase three, which is where you're going to start doing this gradual release to output. Now, output can be as simple as doing those one word answers or writing those one word responses like C or no, things like that, but you're starting to move into output now, and with this output, what you're asking students to do is to start dabbling a little bit with the functional chunk that you're asking them to do, like hey, let's look at some comparisons and see if you can copy what some of these comparisons look like. Like once your students are ready, and they'll let you know when they're ready. When 70% of them or so can understand pretty well what you're doing, then they're ready for some output time. So give them some ways to give simple responses During this phase two.
Speaker 1:You'll notice that there's a really good opportunity here that a lot of teachers also skip. Like usually we go right to the output because that's the easiest way for us as teachers to know whether our students are acquiring quote, unquote the language that we're talking about or not, because we want to see it in written form right. Like well, do you know this vocab word? Use it in a sentence, so I know that you know it, which is frankly, asking a lot when you've only used it a certain amount of times yet. So be looking for that golden number of doing lots and lots of repetitions. It's different for every student, but I mean, the estimations can be as high as 50, and some of them I've even heard 100 before, but you're looking for lots and lots of repetitions of a structure before you start asking students to produce it.
Speaker 1:The next thing that, again, a lot of people skip is try the same type of input, but in a new context. So this is a perfect example in this phase three that we're talking about here, or phase four, actually that we're talking about here of same input. New context is this is the perfect time to whip out your favorite authentic video for this, or to talk about an authentic blog post or read an authentic story or something like that. Like you want to do the same input, but with more quality language around it, more natural formations of language, more native-like uses of this language. That allows the brain to fully put this into a rich, robust context. So now would be the time when your students are ready to start working with some authentic texts with this structure in mind and do more advanced skills with it. Here is also of course, you're going to be asking for output at some point. As long as your students are ready for that, that's going to depend on the proficiency level you're working with, but you'll have a lot to work with in this stage, and same input new context is a dream day for you, because if you're providing alternative sources of target language, then it's a rest for you and it's also really great for your students' brains.
Speaker 1:The next thing that we're going to be working with is phase six, which is let's go to presentational mode. So now your students have had plenty of time to work with this structure. They've seen it in a lot of different ways, they've heard it in a lot of different ways and they're ready to start using it. This is when you can start getting down and dirty with having them use these phrases, this new language, in a meaningful context. So this is the time where you can ask them to write responses to things, to do more elaborate responses, to do presentational speaking or writing, and I would say give them activities where they have plenty of time to think about their thoughts, organize their thoughts. Lots and lots of writing at this stage is great for this, but again, you don't want writing to take over your entire unit, because there's so many other ways that you can help that acquisition really stick. But this is a good time to do it is allow activities. What you're looking for is activities that allow for that space for students to play with language a little bit. How can they reorganize things? How can they put words in the correct order, spell them right All that stuff that you're looking for, without an overemphasis on accuracy. You're looking for students to play with language. Again. Y'all already know the tricks for this. There's so many presentational things that you could do.
Speaker 1:Then, the very final stage, before you give you know, like the big kahuna assessment about this new functional chunk, like comparisons, like we've been doing, then you're really going to move into the interpersonal section. Now I always like to do the interpersonal stuff last, because it's actually the hardest. It's definitely the most brain consuming and energy consuming activity that we can do in the classroom. It's the hardest to plan for, but it's the most valuable, it's the most communicative. So plan for these interpersonal opportunities in your units.
Speaker 1:What we're looking for here in this final, final phase is where are the opportunities for meaningful expression, where students can use these new functional chunks in ways to learn more about themselves or the world around them? So for comparisons, that's an easy one. You're just going to put them in pairs with students and have them talk with some guides, maybe even a chat mat or something like that, where they're having conversations about, like, which class is better, which class is worse, that kind of thing who's taller, who's shorter and showing them pictures of people and they have to do comparisons, and things like that respond to each other, but you're putting them in communicative contexts that is meaningful and works with their own life experiences for the most part. Leave plenty of time for this to happen too. This is something that, since it's at the end, so guilty of this Since it's at the end of a unit and usually the hardest thing to do, a lot of teachers will only give a little bit of time for the most important tasks. So leave time and space for interpersonal tasks. There's a whole nother podcast episode about that as well that you can find on here.
Speaker 1:The next thing that I wanted to mention to you is the big question, which is okay. So you've talked about the structure of units and this gradual release model of language. How long should you spend on a new piece of language with students? How long should you spend with a functional chunk, for example, comparisons? And the answer, of course, is well, it depends. It depends on is this the first time that they're seeing this ever.
Speaker 1:Is this a repeated concept or is this an elaboration of a concept that they've already seen before and they've worked with a little bit before? So, for example, if you're doing adjective agreement like if your students have already been exposed to a lot of input not at the beginning of your Spanish one but if they've already been exposed to a lot of input and you're re-emphasizing the importance of adjective agreement and using in a lot of different ways then your students don't need to spend as much time on that as they might. Something like comparisons, which is kind of a tough skill and will really push them from novice high to intermediate low. So they're going to need a lot of practice with it and a lot of input and scaffolding to support them with it. But let's take a look at the same concept again.
Speaker 1:If you're doing comparisons and you're revisiting this in level three or maybe level four in order to prepare them for better writing skills, they've already seen it before. So you can zip on through a lot of the initial phases, like the input, and then as long as the context is still there, and then, when you go to the comprehension phase, you can zip through that one too and then get right into the gradual release for output to just check where they're at and see where their gaps are and provide them more input as necessary, depending on what they can already do. Level three is a beast because you get all different kinds of level variations in there with language Right. So that's what I would say should guide your timing. For an example to give you with my Spanish twos personally, and with my French twos as well, when we did reflexives holy beast.
Speaker 1:That was a long unit with a lot of input, in which I only used certain subject pronouns, because y'all out there who teach reflexives know that it is really, really difficult for English speakers, however, when it was time to start talking about like personality traits and physical and personality traits that's new vocabulary that they just have to work with the idea of like. Oh, adjectives go in a new place in the sentence not nearly as much time as reflexives. So instead, work with the idea of like, oh, adjectives go in a new place in the sentence, not nearly as much time as reflexives. So instead of following that model of like, each new concept takes the same amount of time. Like we know. That looks really nice on paper and in your color-coded Excel spreadsheet, but it's not real language.
Speaker 1:When it comes time for your students to s'exprime and to express themselves with the different comparisons, they are going to need more time than they did for your adjectives personality unit. So keep that in mind. And I would say, when you are thinking about this and I've heard other teachers ask me this before and think about this, this, and I've heard other teachers ask me this before and think about this, this is the question that I have for you is well, what exactly do you need students to be able to do at the end of this unit? Because it's it's different no matter what textbook or curriculum guide you're using. Any of that like the tasks are different. So you might be just preparing students to use comparisons with like a few speaking questions, or maybe you're preparing them for a full paragraph length discourse that they have to do on an IPA. Then the timing answer will be different. So ask yourself first what do you need students to be able to do by the end of this unit and get really specific with that skill, and that will guide you in the timing.
Speaker 1:So, with all that in mind, let's think about all of the things that we've talked about so far with what the structure of a proficiency oriented unit looks like. First you have this phase one of this context rich input introduction. Next you have the comprehension phase, where you're asking students to work with input but not yet produce anything. Asking students to work with input but not yet produce anything. Then you're going to the gradual release to output with like very carefully selected and scaffolded opportunities so they can mess around and be creative with the language for a little bit. Then you're going to use the same input in new rich contexts hopefully authentic if you can get them and then you'll move to a full release of output and you're expecting larger pieces of presentational whether it be speaking or writing, and giving them time to really put all of their learning together, consolidate it and show you what they're able to do. Based off of that then, and how long it takes for students to start showing you mastery in those areas. Then you're going to start working with interpersonal activities and do a lot of interpersonal activities, because they are by far the best thing that you can offer students, even though they are pretty hard to organize.
Speaker 1:I get you. So that's what a good structure looks like. I hope that helps when you're looking for new ideas for a unit and when you're talking with your department about how to approach tough topics and things like that usually takes students a long time for them to acquire. It gives you some new ideas for how to organize your ideas with this. So thanks so much for listening. Be sure to give this podcast a review. It's really good karma for you and it certainly helps to spread the message to other folks who could use some free pd training to and from work. And thank you again for being a part of this vibrant world language community. I'll see you in the next episode. Bye for now.